STILLWATER MINING COMPANY 2010 Annual Report Stillwater Mining Company
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STILLWATER MINING COMPANY 2010 Annual Report Stillwater Mining Company COMPANY PROFILE TABLE OF CONTENTS Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC) produces 1 Financial Highlights palladium and platinum, rare and precious metals essential 2 Letter to Shareholders in automotive catalysts to convert harmful air pollutants into 14 The Case for Palladium - 2011 Update harmless emissions, and also used in jewelry, electronic and dental applications. The Company is the only producer of 20 Marketing palladium and platinum in the United States. The Company’s 24 2010 Market Developments current mining operations are in south-central Montana 26 Stillwater Mine where it operates two underground mines along the J-M Reef, the world’s richest known deposit of platinum group 28 East Boulder Mine metals (PGMs). The Company’s operations include a nearby 30 Marathon Project smelting and refining complex where it concurrently processes 32 PGM Recycling concentrates from mined ore and spent catalytic material containing PGMs from its recycling business. The Company 34 Operating Responsibly also owns the Marathon PGM/copper mine development project which is in the permitting stage and is located at the Annual Report on Form 10-K north end of Lake Superior in north-western Ontario Canada. Corporate Information - inside back cover ABOUT THE COVER The title “Palladium” Group Metals for PGMs on the cover of our report, rather than the commonly accepted Platinum Group Metals, celebrates “2010 as the year of Palladium.” This intentional twist on the PGM acronym heralds a turning point for palladium in 2010, the factors of which are discussed herein, some of which include – a vast Russian palladium inventory that provided 25% of worldwide supply for the last 20 years is considered nearing depletion; future PGM production is recognized as being constrained; automotive build, now at record levels, will surge a third more by 2015; catalytic converter requirements already consume over half of PGM production; driven by price, the 1-for-1 substitution ratio between palladium and platinum for vehicle catalytic converter applications is a technological reality, where substitution is possible; PGM ETFs were introduced into the United States; the United Kingdom hallmarked palladium for jewelry use, and, in recognition of these factors, the price of palladium doubled during the year. PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION Reform Act of 1995 Some statements contained in this annual report contain forward- expectations are set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the looking information, which involves expressions of management’s Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K included herein and may current expectations. All forward-looking information is subject to be discussed in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange various risks and uncertainties that may be beyond the Company’s Commission. Descriptions of palladium and platinum markets are control and may cause results to differ materially from management’s not intended to be complete and readers are advised to obtain their current expectations. Information concerning factors that could own information on these markets. The Company disclaims any cause actual results to differ materially from management’s current obligation to update forward-looking statements. Financial Highlights December 31, 2010 2009 2008 Financial Total revenues (millions) $ 555.9 $ 394.4 $ 855.7 Operating income (loss) (millions) $ 54.7 $ 4.3 $ (117.4) Net income (loss) (millions) $ 50.4 $ (8.7) $ (115.8) Net income (loss) per share Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.51 $ (0.09) $ (1.24) Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.51 $ (0.09) $ (1.24) Operating cash flow (millions) $ 123.9 $ 59.7 $ 114.2 Stockholders’ equity (millions) $ 583.1 $ 446.8 $ 421.2 Weighted average common shares outstanding (millions) Basic 98.0 94.9 93.0 Diluted 99.2 94.9 93.0 Outstanding common shares (millions) 101.9 96.7 93.7 Palladium & Platinum Mine Production (ounces) Stillwater Mine Palladium 270,600 301,700 268,200 Platinum 81,100 92,100 81,200 Total 351,700 393,800 349,400 East Boulder Mine Palladium 103,500 105,300 116,000 Platinum 29,900 30,800 33,500 Total 133,400 136,100 149,500 Total Mining Palladium 374,100 407,000 384,200 Platinum 111,000 122,900 114,700 Total 485,100 529,900 498,900 Palladium, Platinum & Rhodium Recycling Production (ounces) Palladium 191,500 112,900 164,600 Platinum 178,500 119,100 199,800 Rhodium 29,400 19,000 33,700 Total 399,400 251,000 398,100 Operations Total ore tons milled 1,095,000 1,086,000 1,060,000 Total tons milled including subgrade 1,181,000 1,184,000 1,206,000 Combined mill head grade (ounces per ton) 0.46 0.50 0.46 Mill recovery 91% 91% 91% Consolidated Production Costs (per ounce) Total cash costs $ 397 $ 360 $ 405 Depreciation & amortization $ 149 $ 135 $ 164 Total production costs $ 546 $ 495 $ 569 Metal Prices Mine Production Average realized price per palladium ounce $ 495 $ 365 $ 410 Average realized price per platinum ounce $ 1,488 $ 1,137 $ 1,387 Combined average realized price per ounce $ 721 $ 549 $ 630 PGM Recycling Average realized price per palladium ounce $ 456 $ 282 $ 401 Average realized price per platinum ounce $ 1,539 $ 1,143 $ 1,735 Average realized price per rhodium ounce $ 2,354 $ 2,088 $ 7,807 Market Average market price per palladium ounce $ 525 $ 263 $ 352 Average market price per platinum ounce $ 1,609 $ 1,204 $ 1,578 Combined average market price per ounce $ 773 $ 487 $ 628 1 To our shareholders THE YEAR 2010 FOR YOUR COMPANY WAS EXCEPTIONAL ON MANY FRONTS. AFTER THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES OF 2008 AND 2009, IT IS REFRESHING TO SEE THE COMPANY NOW REPOSITIONED AND MOVING FORWARD SO DRAMATICALLY AS THE DEMAND FOR PALLADIUM REBOUNDS. FRANK MCALLISTER PALLADIUM PRICE DOUBLES market that sales from the vast Russian government palladium inventories built up during the Soviet era are either at or near Perhaps most exciting and beneficial – during 2010 palladium exhaustion – kaput, gone. emerged as the front runner in a very robust natural resource market – more than doubling in price from $395 per ounce I hope I have your attention, as last year “The Case for at the beginning of 2010 to $797 per ounce at year end ($800 Palladium” anticipated almost all those market factors. Let in New York). The provocative banner “Palladium Group me provide some background detail at this point and then Metals” on the cover of this 2010 Annual Report announces direct you to the section in our Annual Report entitled “The in a deliberate divergence from the more customary “Platinum Case for Palladium – 2011 Update”, wherein we again discuss Group Metals” that 2010 was the year of palladium and boldly the fundamental issues of supply and demand, and their highlights the news that the PGM market, and in particular impact on price. the palladium market, likely changed fundamentally during 2010 as we projected in our 2009 Annual Report. Supply r4PVUI"GSJDBO1(.QSPEVDUJPODPOTUSBJOFE I hope that you will read on –if you did so last year in the r3VTTJBO1(.QSPEVDUJPOBCZQSPEVDUPGOJDLFM 2009 Annual Report and if you acted upon the analysis it r3VTTJBOQBMMBEJVNJOWFOUPSZTBMFTTMPXJOHFOEJOH contained entitled “The Case for Palladium”, you may have r3FDZDMJOHPG1(.TQSPKFDUFEUPEPVCMFJOZFBST benefited at least a part from the 136% rise in our Stillwater share price that accompanied the doubling of the palladium Demand price during 2010. r8PSMEWFIJDMFCVJMESBUFTVSHJOHUPXBSENJMMJPO r1BMMBEJVNVTFBUJOHBTPMJOFDBUBMZUJDDPOWFSUFST The doubling of the palladium price in 2010 was driven rGPSQBMMBEJVNGPSQMBUJOVNTVCTUJUVUJPOJOHBTPMJOF by several important factors: the continued recovery from DBUBMZUJDDPOWFSUFST JODSFBTJOHJOEJFTFMDPOWFSUFST the steep 2008 fall in metal prices; investor demand in the U.S. and elsewhere for newly introduced palladium ETFs; Large supply deficits to affect price the surge in demand for automobile catalytic converters; r-BSHFQBMMBEJVNBOEQMBUJOVNTVQQMZEFđDJUTQSPKFDUFE constraints on PGM production worldwide; perhaps to some r1MBUJOVNQBMMBEJVNQSJDFSBUJPOPXOFBSUP degree by Stillwater’s own palladium marketing efforts, but r1MBUJOVNQBMMBEJVNQSJDFRVFTUJPOJTQBSJUZ very importantly also due to an emerging recognition in the UIFGVUVSF r1MBUJOVNQSJDFMJLFMZUPSFNBJOBCPWFQBMMBEJVN 2 Headlining the 2010 developments, the price of palladium doubled in 2010 while the price of platinum rose 21%. Or, said another way, the dynamics underlying this market action – in a massive price re-rating – moved the price of palladium from 27% to 45% of the price for platinum. We suggest that this denotes the start of a fundamental shift in the relationship between these two metals. The question we raised last year and have continued to wrestle with remains, “Where is this pricing ratio headed from here?” Palladium/Platinum Price Ratio December 31, 2009 - December 31, 2010 0.50 0.45 0.40 0.35 0.30 0.25 Dec-09 Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 We believe that price equilibrium between palladium and platinum may well be measured in the future relative to parity. Why? As technology advances, the factors supporting parity Stillwater Valley continue to build. The ability to substitute between palladium and platinum on a 1-to-1 basis in catalytic converters partial shift toward palladium; in China and the rest of the continues to expand. It was first achieved in 2002 and 2003 developing world where light vehicles are powered primarily for gasoline catalytic converters – the with gasoline engines and in Japan, a late comer, which had main market accounting for about largely stayed with platinum until the last couple of years. 50% of total PGM demand. And during 2010 it was achieved in the Other industrial uses for both palladium and platinum are laboratory for that portion of a diesel also expanding as the world economy continues to recover and catalytic converter where palladium grow. Such applications include electrical components (15% can be substituted for platinum. of 2010 palladium demand), chemical catalysts (4%), dental (At the same time, the technology fillings (7%) and other industrial demand (1%).